Sachio YoshiokaDocmentary MURASAKI

Only the color of the plant. Japan was almost lost heart.

Murasaki - The color of the Japanese tradition.

A man fascinated by color (Color Stereo 77 minutes HD Digital)

The film is artisan documentary in Kyoto.
A beautiful color and artisan's dreams.
Sachio Yoshioka is the present head of a Dyeing Company "Dye maker Yoshioka" following Japan Kyoto from the Edo era.
Colors made from a clear spring and plant of Kyoto bring on beauty and depth more than the chemistry dye and attract us.

Cast

Sachio Yoshioka, Denji Fukuda, Sometsukasa-YoshiokaSachio Yoshioka is the next family heir in a long line of master dye craftsmen continuing back to the Edo period of Kyoto, Japan.
1950's Japan has little regard for the environment, and then college aged Yoshioka is fed up with the rise of urban pollution.

Outline

Upon inheriting his family's craft, Yoshioka decides to make a return to the old techniques of procuring natural dyes from the environment. The organic colors of Kyoto's pure spring water and plants are far more beautiful and enchanting than any chemical dye produced in a lab.
Yoshioka teams up with another dye specialist, Fukuda, to run a traditional organic dye factory, something which has become increasingly rare in 21st century Asia.
Part of Yoshioka's work involves the restoration of ancient artifacts. He researches the techniques used to create the national treasures and traditional gigaku costumes kept in the Shosoin treasure house, recreating those same techniques in order to restore artifacts to their original glory. Yoshioka says that it is not modern science, but traditional methods that should be used to authentically restore ancient pieces of artwork. Fukuda works daily in the factory using ancient Indian sarasa silk printing and kyokechi dyeing techniques. However, Yoshioka and Fukuda do not always succeed, and there are still ancient techniques that even they have yet to uncover.
At Todai-ji Temple, there exists a 1,260 year old ceremony called "Omizutori", which involves praying for a plentiful harvest. At the ceremony, Yoshioka offers up traditional crimson Japanese paper, dyed using only the organic ingredients from safflowers. The deep red color, which comes from dyeing the paper many times, is a trademark of Yoshioka's.
Yoshioka's dream of continuing the traditional ways of dye making may in fact be one of the most cutting edge schools of thought in the modern world. In his old beat up factory, he slowly but surely creates work after work of dazzling beauty. Let this film serve as a doorway into his world.

Comment

This film promises to give a unique insight to an aspect of Japan's rich culture, which is not widely known. The subject matter, the creation by hand of textile dye, lends itself to beautiful cinematography, and the filmmakers have made the most of this in creating a thoughtful and elegantly shot portrait of the traditional skills which continue to be preserved by the artisans of Kyoto.
James Gibbons
President, Representative Director
Discovery Japan, Inc / Animal Planet Japan, Co., Ltd